The overland journey with the delegation from the Flamort Kingdom continued under the afternoon sky. The convoy of horse carriages moved at a constant speed, leaving behind the hustle and bustle and the grandeur of the capital.
Slowly but surely, the silhouette of the high walls of the Victoriaz Kingdom's capital began to fall far behind, replaced by the soothing sight of vast green meadows and trees.
Time continued to pass and dusk finally arrived, painting the sky with tinges of orange and gold. The group decided to stop at a safe, open area. It was there that Allen brought out a sturdy and spacious shelter house from inside his magic bag, providing a place for them to rest through the night.
However, even though they were already far beyond the king's reach, the atmosphere inside the shelter house hall during dinner felt stiff. Almost everyone was still unable to fully digest, let alone forget, what the King of Terror had just done to a leader of the Victoriaz Kingdom.
"Arvin, have you gone mad?" Bryan suddenly exclaimed, no longer able to hold back the weight on his mind. The blonde youth stared at his classmate with an expression of shock and frustration, thinking about the future relationship between the two great kingdoms. "Why would you recklessly do something like that to the Victoriaz King in public? Did you not think at all about the political repercussions that might occur because of your actions?!"
Arvin, who was sitting casually enjoying his meal, paused his chewing for a moment. He was actually very much aware that his actions of intimidating and blatantly rejecting King Estadian had deliberately triggered a highly serious diplomatic tension between the Astoria Kingdom and the Victoriaz Kingdom.
However, behind all of that, the blue-haired youth already had his own plan. A mature plan to destroy that kingdom from the inside before they could take any further action.
"I don't care!" Arvin answered in an overly casual tone, once again feeding a piece of meat into his mouth as if nothing critical had happened. "If you want to blame someone for this tension, then just blame that arrogant king who provoked the matter in the first place. He treated me like a dangerous criminal by sending assassins to monitor me. I simply got rid of the flies that were disturbing my privacy."
Hearing such a lighthearted answer from the mouth of someone who had just challenged a king, Bryan could only let out a long sigh and massage the bridge of his nose.
"I truly cannot comprehend your line of thinking, Arvin." he said in resignation, realizing that debating with the King of Terror about morality and politics was a highly futile endeavor.
Arvin simply ignored Bryan's words and calmly continued his dinner, enjoying every bite without the slightest burden.
....
Time continued to pass, ushering the night to become increasingly late and silent. The magic lamps inside the shelter house hall had been dimmed. Everyone was now fast asleep on their respective beds.
However, in one corner of the hall, Victor, who was now lying and sleeping next to Arvin, had not closed his eyes at all. The purple-haired youth lay on his side, intently gazing at the face of the King of Terror, who was sleeping soundly with rhythmic breathing.
I truly never imagined that I have now become his spouse. I feel so peaceful and happy just by looking at his face from this close distance. Victor thought, his lips curving to form a sincere smile amidst the dimness of the room.
Driven by his overflowing feelings, Victor slowly began to raise his hand. His fingers moved forward with hesitation before finally touching his husband's cheek. With an extremely gentle motion, he caressed the handsome face of the person he had silently liked all this time.
Reflexively, Arvin opened his eyes instantly the moment he felt the touch on his face.
He turned his head, and his sharp gaze immediately softened upon finding Victor, who was smiling awkwardly while caressing his face.
"Forgive me... forgive me for waking you up, Huby." Victor whispered, feeling guilty, his hand almost wanting to pull back. "I just... I just still cannot believe that I have now become your spouse."
Hearing that sweet whisper, Arvin shifted his body to face his eleventh spouse, gazing at the Victor's face from such a close distance that their breaths merged.
"Come here, and just hug me if you really want to do it." Arvin whispered gently, opening one of his arms to provide space.
Without the slightest hesitation, Victor moved his body forward and directly embraced, hugging his husband's body tightly. He buried his face in Arvin's right shoulder.
"So warm and comfortable..." Victor said with a muffled voice, so blissful as he enjoyed the warm and intimate moment between the two of them that felt so real.
Arvin returned the embrace by wrapping his right arm around him, then gently stroked the purple-haired youth's back with a soothing up-and-down motion.
"Are you truly feeling happy being my spouse, Victor?" Arvin asked softly.
"I am so incredibly happy!" Victor whispered quickly and with full emphasis from within his husband's embrace. "It feels as if all of this is still a very beautiful dream."
The youth then looked up, staring directly into Arvin's face with a gentle gaze, radiating a gaze full of yearning as if he wanted to ask something of him but was too shy to express it.
Realizing that wistful gaze laden with a request, Arvin immediately offered a small smile to his spouse.
"What is it, Victor?" he asked with a teasingly curious tone. "If you want to ask for or inquire about something from me, just say it. I am your husband now. Do not act—"
Mwah!
Before Arvin could even finish his sentence, Victor slightly leaned in and directly kissed his lips tenderly. Arvin jolted for a brief moment, but he immediately closed his eyes and returned the surprise kiss with equal tenderness and affection.
The two of them kissed in the silence of the night for several minutes, channeling the feelings they had kept hidden all this time through the touch of their lips, ignoring the outside world that was fast asleep around them.
After a few moments, Victor slowly broke the kiss. He looked at the handsome face of the blue-haired youth before him with slightly ragged breathing. His hand reached out once again, beginning to touch and caress the side of his husband's face with deep affection.
"Since when did you actually start liking me, Victor?" Arvin asked, opening a deeper conversation, feeling curious about it.
"Since the incident where you grilled me relentlessly in class, exactly on the day I first found out that Ordion was your third spouse." Victor answered honestly, recalling that tense moment in the past. "Ever since then, instead of hating you, I actually saw you as a very handsome and dignified figure, and your leadership charisma felt so strong and dominating in my eyes."
Victor smiled slightly as he remembered his own behavior. "Since that day, I secretly kept trying to get close to you using various fabricated excuses. Being near you, even for just a moment, always made me feel comfortable and happy."
Hearing that lengthy confession, Arvin finally understood all the bizarre and hyperactive behavioral patterns Victor had shown toward him as well as his spouses.
No wonder, it is not surprising that every time there was a shocking event, he was always the first person to come running and speak to me. Arvin thought, realization finally hitting him. When he saw the design of the bathroom I made in this shelter house, he was the first to enter with such enthusiasm. When Ordion's latent power was exposed in the arena, and when Allen woke up from his unconscious, he remained the first person to approach and talk. It turns out all of that was just his awkward way of seeking my attention.
Arvin smiled warmly in front of Victor. His hand moved up, beginning to stroke the youth's purple hair strand by strand with utmost gentleness.
"Then, if you truly have liked me for that long, why didn't you just speak honestly to me from the beginning?" Arvin asked gently.
"Are you crazy?" Victor replied in a whispered voice colored with an expression of shock and disbelief. "Are you completely unaware of your terrifying reputation as the King of Terror at the academy? How could I possibly have the courage to declare my honest feelings to you? I might have ended up permanently disabled instead, exactly like those unfortunate people you previously beat mercilessly into unconsciousness at the academy!"
Arvin chuckled softly upon hearing that highly logical yet amusing defense.
"Even though, if you had dared to be honest with me from the beginning, perhaps right now you would already be my fourth spouse. And we would definitely be bound to each other by the Life-and-Death contract just like the others." Arvin teased with a mischievous tone.
In that very instant, the cheerful expression on Victor's face immediately dimmed after hearing what Arvin had just told him. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes. He felt deeply regretful for being too cowardly and not daring to be honest much earlier, where his hesitation had instead made him the eleventh spouse.
Furthermore, right now he had to patiently wait a considerable amount of time until his turn arrived, because there were still several of his husband's spouses who were also not yet bound by the Life-and-Death contract.
Seeing the purple eyes staring at him with a look of sadness, Arvin immediately noticed the drastic change occurring on Victor's face. He then promptly took the initiative to comfort him so the youth would not overthink unnecessary things.
"You don't need to think about that too far, Victor." Arvin said gently, his hand returning to rub the youth's back. "At the very least, thanks to the series of events today, you have officially become my spouse, and your extraordinary power has also successfully awakened. That is a massive progression, isn't it?"
Victor nodded slowly, agreeing with his husband's words.
"And for now..." Arvin continued again, staring intently into both of his spouse's eyes. "...I only want to see your happy smile. Can you give that smile to me tonight?"
Hearing the sincere request flowing from the lips of the person he loved, Victor looked at his husband's face once more. They stared at each other in the serene silence of the night.
And then, the purple-haired youth immediately gave his most sincere smile that radiated an immense sense of relief and boundless happiness.
"Thank you, Victor. I love you." Arvin said softly.
The whispered words of gratitude and the confession of love coming straight from his husband's mouth instantly made Victor's heart flutter, growing ever warmer down to the depths of his soul.
"I Love you too, Huby..."
That night, inside the silent and quiet shelter house hall, the two of them hugged each other tightly. Even as their consciousness slowly faded and drifted into the dream realm, Arvin's arm remained faithfully holding Victor's body tightly, as if providing a promise of absolute protection to continue guarding him.